On the Needles

Friday, August 26, 2011

Summer Recap

In short this summer has been busy, hot and fun.
Most summers fit this description. However, this one has been particularly busy since the arrival of the Fab 5 in early May. Every morning and night there are chores to do. Plus the additional of moving them from one section of pasture to the other and then of course the worry – it’s a requirement of farming, I think. Worry of things that are outside your realm of control.

I couldn’t control the fact that the month of July saw 15 days above 90 degrees or days with heat warnings/advisories. In mid-July I made the executive decision to move the flock from their main pasture to the close paddock and barn near the house, and electricity. This provided better shade and a place to escape inside where I had equipped the barn with a fan. Every few days I revise their territory they can graze – and it’s reduced the amount of mowing I have to do. I-minion usually leads the sheep since they will follow him anywhere. He calls it his sheep conga line.

The sheep seemed much, much happier with the place to hang out in the relative cool, even if the humidity remained at an astronomical level – at least for Iowa.

The heat and humidity have broken. When I’ve gone out to do chores in the morning for the last few days, the temperature has been barely 50 degrees. It is obvious that Weston, Edward, Churchill, Collins and Knightley camped outside because it was so nice.

What else has gone on?

Baby O is convinced he belongs with the sheep – he calls them all Churchill. If he’s left unattended for second he is off to the barn. They come up to him and allow him to pet them, and seem to be extra calm around him. He has earned the nickname “Water Moccasin” because any time anyone plays with the hose he is right there helping/playing in it. He is an ace at filling water buckets and watering flowers. He’ll even haul his 5 quart bucket full of water to the pen to help with chores.

The minions are adapting to “farm” life easily. They go out and help do chores with me and most recently we’ve been getting our new to us chicken coop ready to go. We bought it on craigslist for a price that is cheaper than what it would have cost us to buy the materials and build it.

J needs to put it on skids so we’ll be able to move it around. Initially we want to put them in the pasture with the sheep, as the electric fence should deter the canines that live at the house.

At the end of day there’s always time for a little book reading. Lately everyone has been clamoring to read “North American Wild Life.” It’s a Reader’s Digest book my mom bought and it has been part of my life as long as I can remember. Last summer, she gave me the book to share with my kids.